In an attempt to quantify the abilities of each national team, every team has been assessed on every match over the past four years based on four factors:

The result of that particular match

The importance of that match

The strength of its opposition in that match

Just how recently the match was contested

Tallying together those scores and weighting in a few other factors, each team is assigned a score out of 1000 and ranked accordingly.

Now, since the last rankings, a few big changes have occurred in these rankings that are worth mentioning.

The biggest change is how the formula has changed in Africa.

While the numbers had previously worked, the inclusion of an Africa Cup of Nations on an off-year, which has created a situation where there has been three such tournaments over the past four years, threw the numbers into disarray.

Hence, the last rankings were unfair on many African nations.

A few key tweaks have produced a few good results with that continent, though, which many people should be happy to see.

The other big change is the change of the evaluation of Brazil's score.

While it seems incredibly unfair for the Brazilians to be penalized for hosting next year's World Cup (as has been the case in the FIFA rankings), these rankings had been unintentionally rewarding them for not needing to go through qualification.

A new factor for hosts seems like a fair component that has fixed this.

So with that in mind, enjoy the newest Wagner World Rankings.

209-181

1 of 18

Nation

Points out of 1000

209

Turks and Caicos

0.4

208

Bhutan

1.7

207

South Sudan

6.5

206

San Marino

7.3

205

Djibouti

8.2

204

Montserrat

8.5

203

Sao Tome e Principe

10.2

202

Anguilla

13.8

201

Somalia

15.8

200

Eritrea

16.2

199

Mauritania

17.4

198

British Virgin Islands

19.3

197

Seychelles

23.1

196

Brunei Darussalam

24.3

195

Mauritius

26.2

194

Macau

27.1

193

Cook Islands

27.9

192

Comoros

30.7

191

Cayman Islands

34.9

190

Madagascar

36.0

189

Tonga

38.7

188

Dominica

39.8

187

American Samoa

40.7

186

Timor-Leste

40.7

185

Guinea-Bissau

41.1

184

Swaziland

41.2

183

Papua New Guinea

44.4

182

Mongolia

45.2

181

Chad

45.7

Analysis

This bottom set of teams is filled with nations who either struggle at the lowest levels of qualification or don't even enter qualification.

One team in this group that could quickly rise is South Sudan, which was just recently recognized as a country and thus hasn't played many matches.

180-151

2 of 18

Nation

Points out of 1000

180

Barbados

49.4

179

Guam

52.3

178

Samoa

52.7

177

Aruba

52.8

176

Saint Lucia

53.5

175

U.S. Virgin Islands

56.0

174

Bahamas

56.8

173

Gambia

56.9

172

Cambodia

62.8

171

Kyrgyzstan

63.2

170

Lesotho

63.9

169

Central African Rep.

65.1

168

Sri Lanka

69.2

167

Bermuda

72.5

166

Curacao

77.2

165

Vanuatu

77.6

164

Burundi

79.0

163

Fiji

79.0

162

Pakistan

79.1

161

Nicaragua

83.7

160

Suriname

85.5

159

Laos

85.5

158

Afghanistan

85.6

157

Liberia

89.0

156

Sierra Leone

89.9

155

Grenada

93.1

154

Saint Kitts and Nevis

95.6

153

Benin

95.6

152

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

96.0

151

Chinese Taipei

96.1

Analysis

This next group of 30 nations has more teams that struggle in qualifying stages, but some of these teams actually achieve some levels of success.

Among these teams, the most interesting is the Central African Republic, whose victories over Egypt eliminated them from qualification for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.

However, CAR has been unable to reproduce that form and are already eliminated from contention for next summer's World Cup.

150-121

3 of 18

Nation

Points out of 1000

150

Cuba

97.8

149

Puerto Rico

101.1

148

Namibia

102.3

147

Nepal

109.8

146

Zimbabwe

110.0

145

Turkmenistan

110.2

144

Equatorial Guinea

111.1

143

Hong Kong

111.2

142

Rwanda

111.3

141

Bangladesh

114.3

140

Myanmar

114.5

139

Maldives

114.5

138

Yemen

115.5

137

Niger

116.4

136

Belize

117.0

135

Dominican Republic

121.0

134

Mozambique

125.1

133

Andorra

127.2

132

Haiti

130.7

131

Congo

131.8

130

Solomon Islands

133.9

129

Guyana

136.1

128

Tajikistan

137.3

127

India

138.8

126

Kenya

140.1

125

Faroe Islands

140.9

124

Guinea

145.5

123

Indonesia

148.1

122

Palestine

148.5

121

Botswana

150.9

Analysis

At 131, Congo is a very interesting team that could be getting ready for a massive move up the rankings.

The Congolese are poised to win their 2014 World Cup qualifying group over Burkina Faso and Gabon, sending them to the playoffs.

Their group victory would be a bit strange, as it is mostly due to clerical errors by their two closest rivals that caused them to have draws overturned to 3-0 losses.

However, Congo is very close to a shocking World Cup berth.

Meanwhile, the Solomon Islands come in at 130 after it struggled as hosts at the 2012 Oceania Football Confederation Nations Cup.

120-91

4 of 18

Nation

Points out of 1000

120

Antigua and Barbuda

151.8

119

Trinidad and Tobago

152.0

118

Vietnam

153.1

117

Cape Verde Islands

155.1

116

Malaysia

156.1

115

Sudan

156.3

114

DR Congo

168.8

113

Togo

170.1

112

Singapore

172.8

111

Philippines

179.0

110

Tanzania

181.0

109

Angola

186.9

108

Syria

189.3

107

Tahiti

197.0

106

Thailand

199.9

105

Lebanon

200.7

104

Malawi

204.2

103

El Salvador

205.7

102

Liechtenstein

208.1

101

Senegal

208.5

100

Libya

209.9

99

Luxembourg

216.4

98

Guatemala

217.8

97

Gabon

218.3

96

Malta

219.3

95

Cameroon

223.8

94

Uganda

225.3

93

Canada

228.9

92

Kazakhstan

229.5

91

Ethiopia

229.8

Analysis

Many teams in this group are at pivotal points and could be heading up or down these rankings soon.

Tahiti rode its OFC Nations Cup championship to 107, but its dismal performances at the Confederations Cup could see them drop quickly.

Meanwhile, Senegal, Libya and Cameroon could quickly rise if they can clinch their respective groups.

The most interesting team, though, is Ethiopia at 91.

The Ethiopians clinched their group in World Cup qualifying, defeating South Africa.

However, FIFA is probing one of the nation's matches to see if they fielded an ineligible player, which would mean that the group is back up for grabs.

90-61

5 of 18

Nation

Points out of 1000

90

South Africa

230.5

89

Korea DPR

238.9

88

Saudi Arabia

239.9

87

UAE

240.4

86

Cyprus

242.4

85

Bahrain

244.5

84

Scotland

253.8

83

China

256.3

82

Kuwait

256.3

81

Egypt

264.5

80

Oman

264.5

79

Qatar

265.0

78

Northern Ireland

268.8

77

Mali

277.2

76

New Caledonia

277.6

75

Moldova

278.4

74

Lithuania

279.2

73

Algeria

283.4

72

Latvia

290.6

71

Azerbaijan

292.9

70

Iraq

293.9

69

Morocco

297.1

68

Iceland

297.5

67

Jamaica

298.4

66

Wales

299.1

65

Macedonia

303.3

64

Tunisia

305.4

63

Georgia

311.9

62

Bolivia

314.1

61

Estonia

324.1

Analysis

Many sides sit poised to move up these rankings in this group.

Iceland and Wales have performed very well in World Cup qualifying, so the nations are hoping that they will be able to ride that to success in the future.

Meanwhile, Egypt, Morocco and Algeria have had fine group campaigns, leaving them very close to booking a spot in next summer's World Cup.

On the other side, Mali, Iraq and Jamaica have disappointed in their World Cup runs and are on the way down.

60-31

6 of 18

Nation

Points out of 1000

60

Albania

336.6

59

Belarus

340.9

58

Armenia

341.7

57

Honduras

343.4

56

Bulgaria

343.5

55

Zambia

345.8

54

New Zealand

347.7

53

Costa Rica

348.4

52

Panama

359.7

51

Finland

361.9

50

Slovakia

374.0

49

Montenegro

375.9

48

Austria

375.9

47

Israel

376.1

46

Burkina Faso

377.9

45

Serbia

382.0

44

Turkey

382.8

43

Jordan

384.4

42

Slovenia

385.0

41

Poland

386.4

40

Hungary

388.7

39

Venezuela

391.3

38

Norway

396.9

37

Romania

398.7

36

Ukraine

400.4

35

Peru

400.7

34

Paraguay

406.8

33

Uzbekistan

407.6

32

USA

426.4

31

Denmark

430.3

Analysis

Much of this group is comprised of European sides hoping for a playoff spot, with Albania, Armenia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Norway, Romania, Hungary, Ukraine and Denmark all fitting that bill.

Uzbekistan (33) and Jordan (43) will do battle in Asia's World Cup qualifying playoff, with the winner hoping to win the intercontinental playoff for a spot in Brazil.

South American teams like Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela are near the bottom of the World Cup qualifying table.

Peru and Venezuela still have hope of turning their campaigns around, but Paraguay sits in 34th due to its strong performances in years past.

Near the top of the group is the USA, which has been been performing quite well in CONCACAF's qualifying.

The Americans will surely find themselves going to Brazil next year but will hope to get some more competitive friendly fixtures in before that.

30-21

7 of 18

Nation

Points out of 1000

30

Nigeria

434.9

29

Ecuador

436.2

28

Iran

437.5

27

Czech Rep

440.0

26

Chile

442.5

25

Switzerland

442.5

24

Japan

443.7

23

Belgium

443.8

22

Rep. Ireland

451.1

21

Bosnia and Herzegovina

451.8

Analysis

Reigning African champions Nigeria sit in 30th, just third among its continent due to its inability to qualify for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

Though Ecuador has been impressive in CONMEBOL's World Cup qualifying thus far, it still has some work left to do. In fact, the Ecuadorians must prove themselves away from home if they hope to solidify their place in Brazil.

Iran and Japan both booked places in Brazil, while Switzerland, Belgium and Bosnia and Herzegovina look well on their way to doing the same.

20-11

8 of 18

Nation

Points out of 1000

20

Greece

453.0

19

Australia

454.1

18

Ghana

455.8

17

South Korea

455.9

16

Ivory Coast

458.2

15

France

458.7

14

Mexico

462.5

13

Colombia

464.5

12

Sweden

477.4

11

Russia

483.3

Analysis

Colombia continues its rise through these rankings, moving up to 13th as its hot form continues.

Russia's loss to Portugal was a setback and moved them out of the top 10, but it should still comfortably find its way to next summer's tournament.

Mexico is in a bit of a downward spiral, getting quickly eliminated from the Confederations Cup and making work out of its qualification to the World Cup through the hex.

The two most consistent African nations, Ghana and Ivory Coast, sit at 18 and 16, respectively.

Australia and South Korea have already wrapped up berths in next summer's tournament in Brazil and are in the top 20 because of that.

10. Croatia

9 of 18

Points out of 1000: 486.3

Analysis

Croatia has suffered a few setbacks over the past month, taking away its solid grasp on ninth and pushing them to the cusp of the top 10.

The Croats lost to Scotland in a World Cup qualifier—allowing Belgium to take a dominant lead in the group—then followed it up with a loss to Portugal in a friendly.

Croatia must right the ship soon if it hopes to win its group and avoid a playoff process that has troubled them in the past.

9. Uruguay

10 of 18

Points out of 1000: 496.9

Analysis

Uruguay might finally be righting the ship.

The reigning World Cup semifinalists and Copa America champions picked up a crucial victory at Venezuela in World Cup qualifying, pushing them into a playoff spot and within sight of the automatic qualifying places.

The Uruguayans look set to make it through their Confederations Cup group after defeating Nigeria, so they will hope that a strong showing will give them the momentum to up their form through the next few crucial months of qualifying.

8. England

11 of 18

Points out of 1000: 513.2

Analysis

England may not have played a qualifying match this month, but it was still able to gain ground on its rivals.

Ukraine's 4-0 victory at Montenegro means that England remains in second place and two points behind the Montenegrins—but now with a match in hand.

Further, Poland's 1-1 draw at Moldova put a big damper on its hopes.

Adding in a draw with Brazil in a friendly at the Maracana, and one can see that England had a pretty decent month.

7. Brazil

12 of 18

Points out of 1000: 522.3

Analysis

The new factors on Brazil may make it seem like Brazil is moving down these rankings, but this is not the case.

Other than a draw with England, the Brazilians have played well, destroying France in a friendly and dominating at the Confederations Cup thus far.

If they continue to push their way through the Confed Cup, Brazil could easily move up a spot before next month.

6. Portugal

13 of 18

Points out of 1000: 529.8

Analysis

By the evidence of this month, Portugal may finally be coming around.

In matches with Russia and Croatia, the Portuguese kept two clean sheets and won both.

It looks like Portugal is gearing up for another playoff run into a major tournament.

Given that their only losses at major tournaments over the past four years have come to Spain, the Portuguese should be a team to fear.

5. Argentina

14 of 18

Points out of 1000: 530.1

Analysis

Argentina's domination of the South American World Cup qualifying group is nearly complete, as it is just one win shy of booking its place in next year's tournament.

Further, with Lionel Messi scoring a hat trick against Guatemala, the outlook is bright for the Argentinians.

4. Italy

15 of 18

Points out of 1000: 554.1

Analysis

The Euro 2012 finalists have had a strange month.

A draw with the Czech Republic in World Cup qualifying was quickly followed by a strange draw in a friendly with Haiti, results that made one wonder if there might be something wrong.

However, the Azzurri have done well since then, scoring victories in each of their first two Confederations Cup group matches and advancing to the semifinals.

It's hard to know what to expect from this Italian team.

3. Netherlands

16 of 18

Points out of 1000: 561.0

Analysis

The 2010 World Cup runner-up Netherlands has continued its dominance in qualification campaigns, winning every group match thus far.

The Dutch haven't been defeated in just about a year and will be hoping to keep that streak alive heading into next year's tournament in Brazil.

After all, they had a two-year unbeaten run heading into the 2010 World Cup that served them quite well.

2. Germany

17 of 18

Points out of 1000: 594.5

Analysis

With the Bundesliga's clubs dominating European football this season, the Germans will hope that the success will translate to their national team.

Germany's 4-3 loss to the USA certainly wasn't good, but the result should be mitigated by the fact that it was playing very few (if any) of its first-choice starters.

Still, it is a little worrying that these backups put in such a performance, as any injury could thus cause a problem.

1. Spain

18 of 18

Points out of 1000: 662.4

Analysis

Spain is far and away the top national team in the world and will stay atop this perch for quite some time.

The reigning World Cup and European champions just keep putting in great performances and adding to their incredible resume.

There's not much more for them to do except win this month's Confederations Cup.